Donny Lia
Wheels Wayne Anderson's Car from 16th to Victory Lane
When 2009 NASCAR Whelen Modified
Tour champion Donny Lia of Jericho was
named the guest driver for Wayne Anderson's legendary #15 NASCAR
Modified at Riverhead Raceway Saturday most knew Donny would
give the machine a good run. Living up to their expectations Lia
didn't disappoint them and drove
from a 16th place starting berth to victory lane on New York
State Fraternal
Order of Police night. While the triumph was Lia's 7th career
victory at
Riverhead, it was the 32nd time Anderson's car sat in victory
lane, but the
first without Wayne at the controls.
Snake bitten Dave Brigati jumped
to the early lead and for the first 15 laps
of the event appeared as though he had ridden himself of the bad
luck that
has plagued his race team to date in 2010. Chris Young chased
Brigati over
the first 14-laps of the race, with several drivers, including
Timmy
Solomito, jockeying for third. It was at this point of the race
when some
strange things began to take place in the race. Mike Andrews Jr.
was racing
just a car length or two off the race leaders when suddenly his
right front
suspension collapsed entering turn one sending him hard into the
wall. Mike
had some sore ribs but was otherwise okay. On the following
double file
restart Chris Young and Timmy Solomito got caught up as they
entered turn
three dropping them from second and third.
On the ensuing restart Brigati
again assumed his role as race leader, but
the racing gods frowned upon him once again as exiting the
fourth turn to
start the 16th lap Brigati's left front suspension failed
sending him into a
wild spin at the start/finish line. Many were able to avoid
Brigati's idle
machine until Bill Park who had no place to go came along and
hit him head
on. Brigati would later return but Park suffered heavy damage.
Although
Park was okay, he was done for the night. Donny Lia, who carved
his way
from 16th to the top five suddenly found himself the race leader
with Chuck
Steuer and Tom Rogers in tow. When the green light winked back
on Lia in the
Eastport Feeds Chevy was able to pull away over the final
20-laps while
Steuer and Rogers tussled for second, Rogers worked his way by
Chuck on lap
18 for the position.
Over the final half of the race
Donny Lia carefully worked his way around
some lapped cars which would be his only concern as he drove to
the
checkered flag for a very popular win. "This might just be the
best car I've
ever had here at Riverhead" Lia boasted after being greeted by a
beaming car
owner Wayne Anderson. "I have to thank Eastport Feeds, Kenny,
Mike and
Wayne's entire crew, this was a lot of fun to come back here
where it all
started for me nine years ago". Lia, a part time driver on the
Camping World
Truck Series, concluded. When Anderson was quizzed as to who the
guest
driver would be June 12th he quipped, "maybe I'll put one of the
crew guys
in it next week".
Tom Rogers Jr. of Patchogue
remains on his roll finishing second in the
Frankie's Towing Chevy giving him two wins and two runner-up
finishes in the
last four races. Chuck Steuer of Bohemia crossed the line third
in the
Northeastern Office Equipment Chevy, while Eddie Brunnhoelzl III
of
Levittown and points leader John Fortin of Holtsville completed
the top
five.
Kenny Hyde Jr., who in a just a
week or so will graduate Patchogue-Medford
High School, won his first career Figure Eight feature event in
a race that
found the time limit running out after a mere four laps were
run. Kenny is
the youngest driver to ever win a Figure Eight feature. Hyde in
the Gershow
Recycling Intrepid dueled for the lead for the first two laps
with his
father Kenny Sr., before Scott Pedersen worked his way to second
on lap
three. Just like the Legends the week previous, the Figure
Eights just could
not get going and with thunderstorms to the north combined with
numerous
cautions the time limit was enforced and race deemed official.
Afterwards
Hyde, 17 noted, "hey I'd like to see the race go 15-laps, but a
win is a win
and I'll take it". Scott Pedersen of Shirley was second in the
Land Air &
Water Environmental Camaro, while Roger Maynor of Bay Shore
placed third in
the Edward Horton Builders Chevy.
Chris McGuire of Shirley notched
his second win of 2010 when he topped the
30-lap, double point Charger feature event. In pre-race
qualifying Jeremy
McDermott of Riverhead set fast time at 13.429 earning a $100
bonus from
Brigandi Brothers Automotive, but Jeremy drew 6th in the redraw
while Chris
Turbush picked the pole. At the throw of the green Turbush
quickly bolted to
the race lead with Eric Lutz running his first Riverhead race in
some time,
hot on his heels. On Lap 8, racing off the second turn, the two
got together
and by turn three Chris spun, clipping the right side of his
father, Dan
Turbush, in the process, but "Dynamite" Dan was able to scamper
away. After
Lutz was placed at the rear of the field, Dan Turbush was the
new race
leader, but the contact from Chris would rear its ugly head on
lap 11 when
his muffler fell off drawing a caution flag for debris. By track
rules, you
can't race without a muffler and Dan was done for the night.
Chris McGuire,
who was already testing Danny for the lead became the new race
leader with
Kevin Orlando right behind in second. Over the final 19-laps of
the contest
the duo ran one-two, with McDermott sitting third and at the
checker it was
a career milestone 10th victory for Chris McGuire in the Long
Island Fiber
Exchange Ford. Kevin Orlando of Calverton crossed the line
second in the RP
Landscaping Dodge, while Jeremy McDermott of Riverhead was third
in the
Suffolk Precast Chevy.
Tim "Lightning" Mulqueen of
Levittown was another driver enjoying a first
career victory as the former Freeport Stadium competitor won the
20-lap
Blunderbust feature event. Scott Sepe in search of his second
career win and
first in eight years jumped into the early race lead with Russ
Skippon
giving chase for the first two laps before he was passed by Bill
Portney Sr.
Just after the halfway mark Sepe began to spin after contact
from behind,
with Portney also getting out of shape alongside drawing the
yellow flag.
The restart found Timmy Mulqueen the new race leader with
"Turbo" Tom
Sullivan second and waiting in the wings right behind that
tandem were Tommy
Walkowiak and Scott Maliszewski. Over the closing laps Timmy
Mulqueen hit
his mark in the Remove-It-Man Demo entry and drove to his first
career win
in his third season of racing in the class. Tom Sullivan of
Massapequa was
runner-up in the Custom Exteriors Lincoln, while Scott
Maliszewski of Deer
Park was third in the Rush Hour Towing Chevy.
After a tough race the week
before the Legend Race Cars rebounded nicely
with a competitive 20-lap main event that found Tom Rogers Jr.
of Patchogue
scoring his first career win in the class. Chris Turbush broke
to the early
race lead with Anthony Cacioppo giving chase for the first 3
circuits. Tom
Rogers Jr. worked his way by Cacioppo fro second on lap 4 and
just two laps
later while chasing Turbush for the lead a yellow flag waved for
a minor
incident. The double file restart that followed saw Rogers ride
the outside
lane in his Joseph Danisi Truck Sales Sedan to the race lead
with Cacioppo
remaining second. Late in the race both Kevin Nowak and Chris
Young made
some noise when they raced to the second and third positions
behind Tom
Rogers Jr., but the laps ran out on the duo and Tommy now has a
Legend Race
Car win to add to his portfolio. Kevin Nowak of Medford was
runner-up in the
Racing Creations machine, while Chris Young of Calverton crossed
the line
third in the Ray The Plumber backed entry.
Brian Savoy of Lake Panamoka won
the second Skid Plate race of 2010 in a
10-lap contest that started 13 cars. Paul Fox jumped to the race
lead at the
drop of the green flag and was in total control of the event
when he spun
off turn two late in the race. That moved Savoy, a Car Rollover
past
champion into the lead which he'd never surrender in the Albin
Avenue Auto
Salvage racer.
Enduro veteran Bob Haeger of
Hampton Bays, whose father used to promote the
old Westhampton Speedway oval, scored the win for the 6-Cylinder
Enduro
division in a 50-lap contest. Shawn Wanat fresh off running the
same car in
the prior Skid Plate race took the lead early in the race with
Haeger in
tow. While enjoying a fairly comfortable lead Wanat suddenly saw
his left
front wheel come lose off his car ending his bid for victory.
Bob Haeger
moved his Haeger Home Improvements machine into the lead, a lead
he'd never
relinquish. Gene Burbol of Brookhaven was runner-up in the
Gene's 112
Service Center mount, while the Gregor Well Drilling entry of
Jeffrey Gregor
of Bridgehampton placed third.
NASCAR Modifieds 35-laps: 1.
Donny Lia 2. Tom Rogers Jr. 3. Chuck Steuer 4.
Eddie Brunnhoelzl III 5. John Fortin 6. Timmy Solomito 7. Amber
Fortin 8. Al
Ermmarino 9. Dave Brigati 10. Frank Saladino 11. Tommy Sekulski
12. Kevin
Orlando 13. Chris Young 14. Brad Van Houten 15. Ken Darch 16.
Bill Park 17.
John Beatty 18. Jerry Solomito 19. Frank Russo 20. Mike Andrews
Jr.
Figure Eights (time limit): 1.
Ken Hyde Jr. 2. Scott Pedersen 3. Roger
Maynor 4. Dennis Scott 5. Tom Ferrara 6. Mike Mujsce 7. Ralph
Tasso 8. Bob
Dalke 9. Ken Hyde Sr. 10. Will Farrell 11. Arne Pedersen
Chargers 30-laps: 1. Chris
McGuire 2. Kevin Orlando 3. Jeremy McDermott 4.
Chris Turbush 5. Jay Henschel 6. Eric Lutz 7. Erin Dumicich 8.
Brian Doyle
9. Daryn Miller 10. Tom Anderson 11. CJ Lehmann 12. Allen Reeves
13. Derek
Stachecki 14. Dan Turbush 15. Frank Dumicich
Blunderbusts 20-laps: 1. Tim
Mulqueen 2. Tom Sullivan 3. Scott Maliszewski
4. Tommy Walkowiak 5. Tom Pickerell 6. Bill Wegmann 7. Michael
Rommeney 8.
Ray Shannon 9. Bryan Sescila 10. Russ Skippon 11. Fred Nolan 12.
Bill
Portney Sr. 13. Scott Sepe 14. Rob Bader 15. Ygnacio Adams 16.
Jason Wegmann 17. Alexandra Sweeney 18. Paul Parisi
Legend Race Cars 20-laps: 1. Tom
Rogers Jr. 2. Kevin Nowak 3. Chris Young 4.
Anthony Cacioppo 5. Tony Naglieri 6. Timmy Solomito 7. Tom
Sherman 8. Chris
Rogers 10. Chris Turbush 11. Bill Hiscock 12. Jay Sendlewski 13.
Glenn
Maningo 14. Silas Hiscock Sr. 15. Larry Altholtz 16. Vinny
Delaney 17. Bryan
Johnson 18. John Harley 19. Jeffrey Goodale 20. Jim Byrne 21.
Mike Malone
22. Paul Dodorico 23. Kyle Soper 24. Johnny Brand
6-Cylinder Enduro 50-laps (top
five) 1. Bob Haeger 2. Gene Burbol 3. Jeffery
Gregor 4. Scott Setek 5. Robert Endlekofer
Skid Plate Race 10-laps: Winner-
Brian Savoy.
Source: Bob Finan/Riverhead
Raceway PR
Posted: June
7, 2010
